


As Good As Can Be Expected

by padawanhilary, Telesilla



Series: The Contract [1]
Category: Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-17
Updated: 2006-01-17
Packaged: 2017-10-05 13:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padawanhilary/pseuds/padawanhilary, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telesilla/pseuds/Telesilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christina purchases Carrie-Anne's contract.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Good As Can Be Expected

The training facility is immaculate, everything orderly and strictly functional, all steel and glass in the outer rooms. Christina offers her name up to the receptionist and waits, standing back from the desk but ignoring the bank of chairs against the wall. She does not expect to be kept waiting long. She's a high-paying regular, at least at the other facilities, so surely that counts for something.

"Ms. Ricci," Stephen Glass says, stepping out into the lobby. "So good to see you." He shakes Christina's hand firmly and then gestures toward a hallway. "Please, let me take you back to my office so we can go over some of the files I think you might be interested in." He leads Christina to a comfortable office and gestures to a comfortable set of chair set around a low coffee table.

"May I offer you anything? Coffee or a glass of wine perhaps?"

"Coffee, please," she nods, seating herself. She doesn't drink much coffee, generally preferring tea, but this is something she's noticed all the trainers do. Easing the client, building rapport, whatever they want to call it. "Cream. No sugar." She crosses her legs and leans back, watching him. He came highly recommended, and while her other contracts have come from heavily-built, butch-dom types, she knows better than to judge on appearance.

_Still,_ she muses, taking in his narrow frame and his well-groomed blondness, _he's definitely unexpected._

"What have you found for me?" she asks, another step in the procedure: the overture. "I'm ready for something different."

"Of course," Stephen says, moving to the desk. "Coffee," he says into the phone before picking up several files and returning to sit across from Christina. "After looking over the questionnaire you filled out for us, I have several lovely girls who might interest you."

He holds out a file. "Elise is a very good girl," he explains. "She's young and this would be her first contract, but she's eager to please and you might enjoy molding someone who, while trained, doesn't have much baggage."

"Mm." Christina knows to snap up the first one she sees -- however sweet and virginal -- is a bad idea. "Go on," she says after a moment of studying the pictures, though she files Elise's name away. Pretty, unmarked, and unabused. Potential.

There's a pause as Stephen's boy brings in the coffee and Stephen, smiles, pleased that Jerry does manages to provide such good unobtrusive service. "We also have Denise," he says, once the coffee's been served and Jerry's ducked out the door.

"She's looking for her third contract and likes a firm hand," he explains, handing over a folder that contains pictures and information on a lovely redhead.

The coffee is good, as coffee goes, and Christina takes the pause to look at the second file. _Her nose is too long,_ Christina thinks a bit haughtily, and she knows that "likes a firm hand" means "pushes boundaries and acts bratty."

"Next," Christina says, trying not to sound bored.

"And then there's Carrie-Anne," Stephen says holding out the third file. While she's not the final option -- he's got other girls he thinks would suit Ms. Ricci well -- he thinks that Carrie-Anne is the best match based on what he knows of his customer.

"She comes with excellent references from all of her previous owners," he adds, "and she's been with us for a month of intensive training."

Christina looks at this one, taking up the file. Carrie-Anne's eyes are intense and emotional, and Christina can already imagine what it would be like to have a slave who didn't forget to clean up tea or fuck up just for punishment.

"Let me see Elise again," Christina murmurs, picking through the images again. Elise is pretty and perky in a way that Christina likes to break, but a brand-new slave is so easy to break, and Christina's not interested in someone who breaks that easily.

She looks at Carrie-Anne's file again, tapping her finger on a set of stats she's not even paying attention to. "How many owners has she had? Any renewals?"

"Four owners, one renewal," Stephen says. "And there would have been a second renewal if her owner hadn't married a woman who didn't want another woman in the house."

Christina's eyebrows go up; _now_ she's impressed. She hands Stephen the file and says, "Hold that aside for me. I want to see her." And then she just can't resist; she shakes her head and jokes, "Who in the world would get married when he can keep slaves?"

"Oh they kept slaves," Stephen says with a chuckle as he rises and heads to his desk. "Male ones." He picks up the phone, asking the receptionist to have Carrie-Anne join them.

When the girl sticks her head into the break room, Carrie-Anne takes a deep breath and checks her hair before heading down the hall to Mr. Glass' office. Tapping lightly on the door, she then slips inside and kneels down immediately. "At your service, Sir, Ma'am."

_Here we go._ Christina's never bothered to go this far into the process before; maybe that's why she's had such lousy luck with her slaves. "Drop the robe and stand up," she orders.

"Yes, Ma'am," Carrie-Anne replies, keeping her eyes down. The woman's voice sounds young, but she also sounds like she knows exactly what she wants. Rising gracefully to her feet, Carrie-Anne lets the slik robe sip off her shoulders to fall to the ground at her feet. As soon as she's naked, she puts her hands behind her back, clasping one wrist with the other hand.

_Good._ "Look at me," Christina orders, and when the slave raises her eyes, says, "Say I'm having a tea. I'm out of the room when one of my guests arrives. Seeing you to be a slave, naturally, he wants to do something to you. Use you somehow. What's your first reaction?"

_She's so young,_ Carrie-Anne thinks. _And so tiny._ "That would depend on what instructions I'd been given before hand, Ma'am," she replies. "As well as any standing orders I already had."

"There are no standing orders yet; you're winging it. All I've told you to do is to seat the guests and offer them the tea." The girl is good, Christina has to admit. She thinks ahead.

"I look to you for instruction, Ma'am," Carrie-Anne replies. "And if you are not in the room, I politely ask the guest to wait until I have permission." There isn't really a right answer here; Carrie-Anne knows it's unlikely as hell anyone would have their girl serving tea to guests without prior instructions.

Christina folds her arms over her chest. "Good," she finally allows, and turns to Stephen. "I'll take her."

Hard pressed not to blink or otherwise look surprised at how quickly her new Mistress made up her mind, Carrie-Anne goes to her knees again, bowing her head.

Stephen nods and pulls Carrie-Anne actual contract out of the back of the file. "We've already run the various credit checks," he explains. "All that remains is for both of you to sign."

"Fine." Christina pulls a slender ink pen out of an inside pocket and moves back to the table. "Stay close to me, girl; I'm not going to want to call out for you or check on your proximity."

It amuses Carrie-Anne that this woman acts like she owns Carrie-Anne even before Carrie-Anne knows her name, let alone before either of them have sighed. But even more than amusing her, it makes her feel better about this contract; here is a woman how has no problem with giving orders.

Carrie-Anne moves closer and waits for her turn at the contract.

With a dry sense of fatalism, Christina signs, then presses her thumb to the pressure-sensitive square that would be used to find and blacklist her were she abusive toward any of her slaves. She isn't, though, and she knows the contract by heart, so this is all a formalized chunk of nonsense used to take time out of her day.

Still, as she steps back from the paper and watches the girl move forward to sign, she feels relatively pleased about this transaction. This one, at least, has her protocols down, and knows how to deal with ridiculous hypothetical questions. _I hope she likes pain._

Unlike her new mistress -- who Carrie-Anne discovers is named Christina -- Carrie-Anne glances over the contract quickly. It's not that she doesn't trust the agency, or the law for that matter, it's just that she's signing herself over for the next six months -- with option to renew -- and she wants to make sure everything is on the level.

It is and so she signs and then thumbprints, before putting the pen carefully into her mouth, and offering it to Christina. _Mistress._

It's a bit old school, and that impresses Christina. Apparently they _do_ still teach the little nuances that make for a truly good slave. Christina takes the pen and tucks it away, determined to reserve judgment. One fine-tuned gesture does not a good slave make.

She glances up at Stephen and smiles. "Everything's in order. She can walk out; I'm not going to have her scraping herself up on the concrete on the way to the car." Turning back to Carrie-Anne, she adds, "Put your robe back on. I'll have you fitted tomorrow for clothes."

Extending her hand, she tells Stephen, "Thank you. I have a good feeling about this one. I'll submit my recommendation to the main office in the morning." Of course, Christina tells all of them that latter bit, but they never know what the comments turn out to be. This has been a good experience, though. Stephen has a good feel about him, and Christina really wants to trust him.

Stephen's smooth "thank you, Ms. Ricci," as he shakes Christina's hand covers Carrie-Anne's own murmur of acknowledgement. _I don't even know if she wants her orders to be acknowledged,_ Carrie-Anne thinks as she slips the robe back on and waits near the doorway. _So much to learn; the next couple of weeks will be tough._

For the moment, Christina is content to let the girl fall back on whatever training Glass put her through. It's enough to get her home, at any rate, and Christina can start to rework her there. As they leave the facility, Christina realizes Carrie-Anne isn't going to need a great deal of retraining. She's...actually good.

It's with a sense of relief that she gets into the back of the car and tells the driver, "Home." She looks Carrie-Anne over none too subtly. The girl is beautiful and demure in a quietly androgynous way, and Christina can already see the scenarios spinning out. Clothes are going to be expensive and plentiful, she can tell.

All in all, a good purchase, if one can decide so quickly. Besides, it's only six months; if she doesn't like the girl, that's what termination is for.

Kneeling on the floor of the limo, Carrie-Anne tries to calm herself. The contract is signed, her new mistress is lovely and knows what she's doing, and Carrie-Anne no longer has to worry about her place. For a contract slave such as herself, this is as good as it gets in the beginning.

_-end-_

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously this takes place in an AU, wherein neither the two main characters nor their friends are actors. We don't have a specific date in mind for this AU; it's set in some nebulous time in the near future. Contract companions are legal and in the larger/more sophisticated urban areas people are accustomed to seeing subs wearing collars, leashes and fetish wear in public.
> 
> Thanks go to [](http://helens78.livejournal.com/profile)[**helens78**](http://helens78.livejournal.com/) for acting as our beta.


End file.
